Texts in Conversation
1 Enoch 43 and Baruch both describe the stars answering God when he calls them by name and shining proudly like willing servants. 1 Enoch goes further, treating those responsive stars as the names of the faithful who live on earth.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Enoch 43:1
Pseudepigrapha
1 And I saw other lightnings and the stars of heaven, and I saw how He called them all by their names and they listened to Him. 2 And I saw how they are weighed in a righteous balance according to their proportions of light: I observed the width of their spaces and the day of their appearing, and how their movements produce lightning, and their movements according to the number of the angels, and how they maintain faith with each other.
Baruch 3:34
Deuterocanon
33 the one who sends forth the light, and it goes; he called it, and it obeyed him, trembling; 34 the stars shone in their watches, and were glad; he called them, and they said, "Here we are!" They shone with gladness for him who made them. 35 This is our God; no other can be compared to him.
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Notes and References
... The author's interest in the stars in particular is evident from the similarity between verses 1bc, 2f and several interrelated biblical passages: He reckons the number of the stars, he gives (literally 'calls') to all of them their names. (Psalm 147:4) Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these; He who brings out their host by number, calling all of them by name. (Isaiah 40:26) He sends forth the light, and it goes; he called it, and it obeyed (literally 'listened to') him with fear. The stars shone in their watches and rejoiced; he called them, and they said 'Here we are'; they shone with gladness for him who made them. (Baruch 3:33-34) ...
Nickelsburg, George W. E.
A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 37-82
(p. 146) Fortress Press, 2012
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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